A Glitch in the System
by SillyLittleBird
Summary: A life simulator called Kingdom Hearts has been hacked by 13 users, leaving millions stranded inside and at their mercy. The fate of the world rests in a sixteen year old boy named Sora, who is determined to find his brother and bring him home. However, some prefer the world the way it is, and will do anything to stop him... Rated M for character death and adult scenes. SoRiku


**I was cleaning out my old hard drive and found this little gem. Hell yes I'm gonna finish it.**

**Contains heavy spoilers for Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance as well as almost every other game in the KH series**

**Disclaimer: I do not own KH or any of the characters or places mentioned.**

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"We really appreciate you helping us out, Sora." Pencils scratched out little notes on a white clipboard, in a white, gray, and blue Sign In room. It wasn't a very large room, standard in Arena Oblivion, mostly known as Castle Oblivion due to it's shape and build. A man with odd silver hair dressed in a doctor's lab coat sat in the center of the room, a chair in front of him. "Just one more thing that we have to complete." His eyes flickered back up to the chair.

On the chair sat a sixteen year old boy named Sora Skye. He seemed to be the only flash of color in the dully colored room. His wide blue eyes regarded the man silently, and he gave a small nod of consent. His cinnamon colored spikes swished with the movement. "Sure. What is it?" He asked, absently picking at the back of his gloves. P2 was engraved on the metal plating of them both.

Sora was being interviewed for the Drop into the aptly named Kingdom Hearts. It was an online game, a life simulator, that people could literally live in like they'd live outside. Only Kingdom Hearts was much more dangerous. There were many worlds that one could easily get lost in. There were monsters to fight, and other players. The only catch about KH was if you died in the game, you died outside. For real. No extra lives or anything.

The KH game had just introduced a new, highly sought after weapon known as the Keyblade, and was rewarded to certain players randomly upon entering. Within hours of only thirteen users-thirteen out of almost six million, mind you-gaining the Keyblade, a glitch was uploaded into the system on April 13th, by an unknown source, and Kingdom Hearts completely powered down. Lots of users were lost between the worlds.

And one of these users, Sora's twin, Roxas, was never picked up on the sensors. Roxas was the Beta to this project, the original Player Two. He was a mod, roaming the worlds and making sure everything was in order. He was sent to the source of the glitch, a world known as The World That Never Was, when the virus completely shut down the game, and Roxas' conscience was trapped inside.

The game creator, a man named Ansem, had reason to believe that the thirteen Keyblade wielders had somehow teamed up outside of the game and inserted the virus from an old computer, using the older model so the encrypted data wouldn't show up fast enough on Ansem's hard drive. He needed someone to actually go in, someone willing to put their life on the line for a game.

So that had led Sora to this. Two years later. Interviewing for the new Player Two position, which involved the recovery of his twin, along with the mysterious Player One known as Riku, finding and destroying the virus, and, potentially, destroying the Keyblade. All as soon as possible. He sighed, folding his hands in his lap and looking back up at the man.

"Do your parents know you are here?"

Sora jolted a little, looking taken aback. His hands clenched into fists by his sides.

"It's just that...well, seeing as how you are still underage, usually you'd need parental consent to complete a job this big." The man leaned back, smiling slightly. "However, since these are rather delicate circumstances and almost every family has lost a loved one to KH..." He checked off something on his clipboard, and scribbled something down quickly. "You're good."

Sora exhaled, slumping down in his chair with relief. No, his parents had no idea where he was. He had run away from them earlier that morning, and hitched a ride all the way to the facility. It was the only way he could save Roxas. Besides, he was one of the only kids left in his school that wasn't trapped in the video game, and society had begun to crumble around him. There was really nothing left for him back home. "Thank you. Thank you..."

"Come here." The man stood up, and opened the door, motioning for Sora to follow. He led the teen down a long, white hall-It feels like a mental asylum-before reaching a huge, circular room filled with lots of people in lab coats, typing in computers. Looking up, Sora realized the room was about twenty stories up, with a huge skylight at the very top. Hundreds more people were in cubicles built into the sides of the room. "Whoa..." Sora breathed, walking quickly to catch up to the man.

"Amazing, isn't it?" The man smiled. "Oh, by the way. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Ansem. I created the life simulator." He held out his hand to Sora. "And I cannot tell you how much of an honor it is to finally meet you, Sora. Your brother always spoke highly of you."

Sora's mouth fell open. "Y-YOU'RE honored to meet ME? B-but...I think it should be the other way around, honestly." He gushed. "You created all of this? Wow! It must've taken forever to make! How did you even find the time?!"

Ansem smiled, his strange dark brown and orange eyes glowing with pride. "Thank you. Yes, it took most of my life to create. And the help of many." He caught the shoulder of a young, red haired girl walking by. "Including this one right here, the one who inspired me to make this. My personal assistant. Kairi, meet Sora Skye. He's here to save the game."

Kairi smiled beautifully, brushing a little piece of red hair out of her eyes. "Oh, please." She rolled her eyes at Ansem. "You were the one who built it. Mr. Skye, I'm honored to meet you. Your brother and I were good friends..." her expression saddened. "...so I can't tell you how glad I am to see you going to help him." She held out her hand.

Sora blushed, shaking her hand. "I'm just glad to help." He stumbled out, which made Kairi smile brighter. She gestured behind her. "Come on. The debriefing will be done over here." She waved goodbye to Ansem, who smiled and headed into an office. Sora followed Kairi obediently over to the station she had mentioned.

"You...inspired the game?" Sora asked, once they were a safe distance away from Ansem.

Kairi sighed and rolled her eyes. "No. He just enjoys being charming. I wasn't the inspiration for the game; how could I be, if he was working on it his entire life? I did help him make it a reality, though." She smiled sadly. "Both my greatest accomplishment...and my biggest curse." She punched in some numbers on a keypad, opening a door into a room filled with computers. Sora followed her in meekly.

"Come on, Seifer, leave me alone." A blonde teen was sitting at a computer, typing in commands.

Another teen was leaning against his chair, a smirk plastered on his face. "Hayner the pain. Such a pussy, afraid of a little fight?" He taunted, spinning the blonde teen to face him. "You're so annoying. I always want to slap you when I see you. Anyways, the only reason you hate me so much is because I did your little girlfriend back in March. She was kind of a whore, anyways, you should be thanking me-"

"Shut up!" Hayner suddenly tackled Seifer to the floor, the two grappling and shouting at each other. Kairi calmly stepped over them as if it were a normal scenario and walked over to the adjacent computer. She sat down and pulled up an image of what Sora recognized as Traverse Town, a scene in the game. "This is where we last had contact with your brother." Kairi pointed to a little glowing dot. "There. You need to go there first and investigate."

"...Where...is Roxas?" Sora asked. If a player was in the game, they were put in what was called a Stasis pod, keeping them preserved from the harms of outside. He hadn't seen Roxas for two years. The pain of losing his twin ate away at him, and he felt empty. _Maybe just seeing him will make me feel better..._

Kairi nodded, pressing a button next to the computer. A portion of the wall opened, and she led Sora down a long, dimly lit hallway. It was lined with coffins of sorts, each one with little circular portholes cut into them. Human faces could be seen in each one, and each person wore a strange visor over their eyes.

"There are so many..." Sora breathed in horror. "And...they're all so young." He walked up to one that looked like it held a little girl, barely older than eight. Her hair floated around her head as if she were submerged in water, and her mouth was slightly twisted into a minuscule frown. In fact, no one in the stasis pods looks happy.

Kairi slowly walked up to his side, tragedy marring her features. "People aged thirteen to twenty five were the most common victims of KH. Their families turned them in to us...so we'd keep their pods safe. There are even more in our facilities across the country." She reached out and touched the pod briefly, letting her fingertips graze over the metal before dropping her hand to her side again. She looked over at Sora. "Did you ever play?"

Sora nodded slowly, looking down at his P2 gloves. The little green light in the middle of them seemed to pulse invitingly. "Yeah. When it first came out, before Roxas got a job here. We bought the take home set...with two stasis pods and visors. We had a lot of fun, but we never really risked our lives for it. Stayed in the towns, met up with friends...that sort of thing." He ran a hand through his hair. "Roxas wanted to learn more about it, so he came here. You know the rest."

Silence stood stagnant between the two of them for a long moment before Kairi put a reassuring hand on Sora's shoulder. "Really. I can't thank you enough that you're here. I, too, lost someone I truly cared about." Catching herself, she cleared her throat. "Would you like to see him now?"

Sora nodded once, determined. Kairi smiled briefly and continued down the hall, leading Sora into an even more dimly lit room. The only light was shining from the Stasis chamber...or 'orb' would be the better way to describe it. It was a bright yellow orb, glowing and pulsing with light, black tendrils of darkness wrapping and twisting around haphazardly inside it. And in the middle floated Sora's other half, Roxas.

Roxas was still wearing his Player Two gloves, but they had been deactivated, because the green light wasn't glowing in the middle. His eyes were closed, and he looked peaceful, as if asleep. His hair floated lazily around him like he was underwater. Sora reached out, about to touch the Stasis pod when Kairi caught his hand.

"The virus didn't just affect the game." She gestured to the black tendrils writhing around inside the bubble. "It affected the Stasis units, as well, and any other technology immediately connected to the game. Those black wiggly things are parts of the virus, coded to keep Roxas in no matter what. We've tried removing them, but whoever touches them is immediately thrown backwards, and Roxas' vitals go crazy. If you touch them, you could kill him."

Sora watched his brother revolving slowly in the orb helplessly. "...I'm going to get him out." He said quietly. "Him, and everyone else trapped in the system." He looked around the small room, and noticed another door. "What's through there?" He pointed at the door, looking at Kairi with interest.

Kairi cleared her throat nervously. "Player One, and the thirteen Keyblade users we believe to be behind the virus. The problem is..." Kairi opened the door, leading into another room. This one had lots of Stasis pods, only these looked more like coffins, with clear dome tops. There were fourteen of them, all lined up neatly in two rows. "...they're all still in the game, and we cannot apprehend them until you, Sora, get all of them out."

Sora looked at all the pods. The black tendrils were only crisscrossed over one coffin. He peered into the slightly fogged up surface. A muscled boy lay there, looking about two years older than Sora. He had long, jagged silver hair and pale skin. His eyes were closed and his brow was furrowed. He wore the Player One gloves. "This is Riku, isn't it..."

Kairi looked unbearably sad. "Yes. He and I were together, in a sense." Tears welled up in her bright blue eyes. So that was who she had meant when she said she lost someone. Sora patted her shoulder awkwardly, looking back down at Riku. His Player One gloves were glowing a bright blue, almost so bright that Sora had to tear his eyes away from them. He inspected Riku's face, his pale featured, down to the unidentifiable sigil he wore on his chest. "I'll get him out." He promised.

"I know you will." Kairi said softly, smiling shyly at Sora. "I believe in you. I have to believe in you. And so does everyone trapped. If we don't hope...we don't have anything left." She wiped a few tears off of her cheeks. "Everyone here and in the game knows you're coming, Sora, and we've programmed all the built in characters to help you every step of the way. We're all rooting for you."

Sora was flattered. Hearing that so many people were helping him, that so many wanted him to succeed was astounding. _One of those people is Roxas. He needs my help. He's ROOTING for me._ "Thank you." He said shakily, unsure of what to say. "I'm ready...I think."

Kairi took his hand, leading him away from the Stasis units and back down another long, white hallway. "Your stasis pod is this way. We've already got it all set up. Pence and Olette, our computer programmer and doctor, will be the ones to hook you up to everything." She punched a few numbers into a keypad and a door slid open, revealing another circular room with an empty Stasis unit in the middle. Two people were milling about, and when they heard the door they both looked up and beamed.

The young woman, a girl with curly brown hair and green eyes, walked up to Sora and shook his hand enthusiastically. "Sora, isn't it? Sora Skye? I'm honored to meet you! My name's Olette, and I'm the doctor! I'm here to make sure that your vitals stay stable and that no harm comes to you outside! Oh, and to heal you in case you get hurt in the game!"

Sora nodded numbly, attempting to keep up with the girl's constant speedy chatter. Kairi led Sora over to the Stasis unit, and the other person, a boy with spikey brown hair spun in his chair and faced Sora. The two wore the same white lab coat, only Olette had a stethoscope hanging around her neck. "Hi, Sora, I'm Pence! I'm the one who programs all the items you'll get in the game." He said cheerily, beaming. "I'm the one who made the Keyblade!"

Again, Sora nodded, nerves taking his voice away. Kairi made Sora sit down on the bed, adjusting his gloves on his hands and smiling at him reassuringly. "Olette and Pence are the best that we have." She said quietly, pulling out a necklace from her pocket. It was silver, and shaped like a crown. "Are you nervous?"

"Of course I am." Sora chuckled slightly, looking at the necklace and taking it in two shaking hands. He would have dropped it, too, if it weren't for Kairi's hands cupping his own. The shiny silver metal glinted and gleamed in the flourescent lights, and Pence grinned proudly, his hands on his hips.

"Do you like it? It's my own design." The man wheeled over to another computer, still grinning. "It's made to look normal, so none of your enemies will know we're backing you up!"

Sora took it, slipping it around his head. It suddenly automatically adjusted around his neck, fitting snugly and gently, so as not to choke him. "What's this?" He asked, fingering it and looking expectantly at Kairi. "I haven't seen any of the others trapped in the game wearing it."

"It's a tracker. We don't want to lose you as well." Kairi said firmly. "Now. When you enter the game, you'll fly through this giant tube sort of thing. We call it the Dive. The Dive will take you to Traverse Town, to where your first guide in the game will be. Pence is going to be watching your every move in your first world, but our sensors can't reach far enough to track you throughout the entire game. Got it so far?"

Sora nodded, and Kairi continued: "You will keep switching guides and outfits between worlds, so don't be alarmed when your Keyblade completely changes on you. It'll still weigh the same, do the same things, and have the same strength level. Usually you get stronger with every enemy you defeat, but the virus completely wiped out the enemies we made. Your job is to first talk to your guide. She'll tell you what to do." Kairi beamed. "I programmed her myself."

Sora nodded, laying down on the Stasis pod. His heart was pounding in his chest quickly, as if trying to run away. Kairi noticed his apprehension and kissed his forehead quickly. "For good luck." She whispered at Sora's blush before pulling away. Olette placed a small disc she said was a heart monitor right on his chest, and activated his gloves. "The Dive will commence in one minute." She said, closing the top of the coffin.

A visor suddenly deployed from the top of the coffin and landed on Sora's face, completely covering up his eyes. Now everything he saw was in a dark blue glitchy manner. Tiny numbers swarmed before his eyes, making him dizzy and even more nervous. He tried to focus on something, anything, but all he could see were the numbers and all he could hear was the pounding of his own heart.

Sora lay there, listening to the little beeps of the timer as it counted down when he'd enter the game. After about thirty seconds, large buckles latched themselves around his wrists and ankles, closing around his appendages with a loud snapping noise. He jolted a little bit, and immediately he could see Kairi's reassuring eyes throughout the haze of numbers through the porthole. She smiled. That was all it took to calm him down, and Sora smiled back. He took a breath and closed his eyes. The clear top of the Stasis pod suddenly fogged up, and a mist filled the pod.

"Ten. Nine. Eight." Sora counted quietly, feeling his eyelids getting heavier. "...Seven...s...six..." He sighed, relaxing into the padded back of the Stasis pod. "Five...four...th..t..." His eyelids finally slipped closed. "...one." With a final sigh, Sora was launched into the midst of the game.

A large flash of light behind his eyelids, and he opened them. He was standing on a giant rock in space. He reached up and touched his face, feeling for the goggles. They weren't there. He looked around, seeing the tube Kairi had talked about. It was bright blue and seemed to be made of light, leading to a tiny town in the distance. Stars dotted the edges of the tube, along with strange pieces of debris. He raised an eyebrow, stepping a little closer to investigate.

"Sora? Can you hear me?" Olette's voice came on in his head, almost as if she was standing right next to him. "This is a psychic connection we've established via the tracking device. Pence, Hayner and I will be right by your side throughout your journey. We'll be able to help you with decisions and negotiations. However, if you take your necklace off, or if it gets damaged, our connection will be severed. Understand?"

"Yeah." Sora looked around once again, kicking out at the rock idly. "Why hasn't the drop started yet? And how do I summon my Keyblade?"

"The Drop will begin at any minute," she said, "so further explanations will have to wait until you're fully in the game."

"But-"

A large, booming voice that sounded like Ansem's made him jump. "I GIVE YOU...KINGDOM HEARTS."

Before Sora could react, there was a large whooshing noise that completely surrounded him. Wind began blowing him towards the Dive. He leaned back against it, trying to stop himself. Pieces of paper flew haphazardly every which way, occasionally flying into his face and blocking his view. Sora suddenly lost his footing on the rock and tumbled up, up, up. With a final yell, he was sucked into the Dive, flying faster than he ever thought possible towards Traverse Town.

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**nyoooooooom**

**so i'm still not really certain how i'm gonna write some of the characters in. bear with me on this one if they don't show up. Constantly editing too, so if you find grammar mistake message me please it would be super helpful**

**-Wren-**


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